Blood and Faction
by Raberba girl
Summary: "Faction before blood." They know how it works. Transferring out of Abnegation gives each of them a new life, and a new ultimate loyalty. ...At least, that's how it's supposed to be. KH characters in the Divergent universe, focusing on AkuSaiRokuShi; no slash.
1. (Axel)

Blood and Faction  
(rough draft)  
A Kingdom Hearts / Divergent crossover fanfic by Raberba girl

_My 100th story on FFN  
Dedicated to Taliax_

Summary: "Faction before blood." They know how it works. Transferring out of Abnegation gives each of them a new life, and a new ultimate loyalty. ...At least, that's how it's supposed to be. KH characters in the Divergent universe, focusing on AkuSaiRokuShi; no slash.

A/N: Kingdom Hearts characters in the universe of Veronica Roth's _Divergent_ series. **And, while I know Kingdom Hearts like the back of my hand, I'm not overly familiar with the **_**Divergent**_** universe, so forgive me for any errors regarding that world/society (and please point them out, too! :D).**

KH will usually take precedence over _Divergent_; for example, the character whom I chose to make the leader of Candor.

o.o.o

**Chapter 1**

**Axel**

My brother is a selfish, heartless _jerk_.

I mean, it's not like I blame him for leaving. Saïx was never cut out for Abnegation - heck, _I'm_ not cut out for Abnegation. Neither of us have ever had an easy time here, with his nosiness and my...me-ness.

...But he could have told me. You know?

We're less than a year apart. We were like twins when we were kids - we went everywhere together, did everything together, kept no secrets from each other, we could even finish each other's sentences.

But...eventually...I guess it was after the real twins were born...things changed, and we started drifting apart. He's never really liked Rox and Xi, but I've adored them almost since I first laid eyes on them. While I was playing with the babies, he'd be reading books; when I took the kids out to watch sunsets or catch fireflies, he'd be holed up in his room. By the time I was fourteen, I didn't know him anymore.

Then he went and transferred to Erudite, and that was it. We might as well have stopped being related. It wasn't like I was expecting him to stay here forever, I think we'd all seen it coming for a long time. He just never _told_ me. I kept expecting him to say something, and still expecting him to say something, and then I thought maybe he meant to stay after all, and I finally asked him about it when we were alone and no one could get on my case for "satisfying my own greedy curiosity," but he just brushed me off. Then Roxas and Xion came running up to tell me about a squirrel or something and I got distracted, and I could never get him alone after that; then finally it was Choosing Day and he was walking offstage to join the Erudite - that shaggy hair of his the same color as their clothes, as if he'd always belonged to them. Never looked back, never said good-bye.

I'm not going to be like him.

"Rox...Xi...I have to tell you something."

They look at me with those huge pretty blue eyes of theirs. The light from the sunset glints in Roxas's honey-brown hair, shines on the smooth black of Xion's. "The aptitude test..." Well, let's just say that the results didn't surprise me.

"Did it hurt?"

"Was it scary?"

"What? No, I-" I take a deep breath. "The test was fine. It's just that I...decided...I'm not gonna choose Abnegation tomorrow."

"Whaaat?!"

Their dismay hurts, and I wish I could back down, but...I know I can't. This life of keeping silent, fading into the background, as if they're trying to erase my very existence...I can't stand it, even just the thought of living like that the rest of my life. For sixteen years, I've _yearned_ for Choosing Day - without that hope, life here would be unbearable. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry, but...I can't stay here."

"Why _not_?" Roxas demands. (He's not exactly the best Abnegation I've ever seen, either...)

"You're gonna leave us like Saa-chan did?" Xion says tearfully, and I have to look away, so they won't see me trying to hold back my own tears.

"Why would you _leave_?!"

"Axel, I don't want you to leave. I don't want you to leave."

They're good kids...they calm down eventually, and remember to be dutiful.

"It's selfish to want you to do what I want instead of what you want," Roxas says dully. "Be blessed and happy in your new faction, Axel." He pauses. Then adds, passionately this time, "I _don't like_ being Abnegation."

I can't help laughing a little.

"Where are you going, Axel? I'm going there when I'm sixteen."

My heart leaps and then falls, aching as I look at him. I want that so badly...for us to be together somewhere where I can still be happy, but... "Roxas, remember why we make the choice. Faction before blood - you live where you can serve this community best. What you choose is for _life_, Roxas - you don't pick your alliance just to satisfy a selfish whim." Am I saying that because it's true, or because I've been raised to believe stuff like that all my life?

"What if living with you is serving the community best?" Xion says anxiously.

I'm looking at her, trying to treasure her with my eyes, because I won't be able to very often after tomorrow. "It might be. It might not. You guys are too young to know...you still have seven years to figure that out. You know?"

"Maybe," Xion says sadly. Roxas just glares. I hesitate, and then...I reach out and draw them close. No one else is watching, and even if they were, well, I don't really care. I want - _need_ - an embrace right now.

Roxas sits there stiffly in my arms for a moment, then finally relaxes a little and rests his head against my shoulder. Xion gasps a little in surprise, then flings her arms around me and squeezes me back, like she's been hugging people her whole life.

"I'll always love you," I whisper. "It doesn't matter where I go, or what faction I'm in...I'll always love you. I _promise_."

"Promises are forever," Roxas reminds me.

"Yeah. I know that, kiddo."

"We love you, too," Xion says. "Always."

We're quiet together for a while, focused on each other. Then they finally pull back and start bombarding me with questions like they always do when we're alone, and I can laugh and relax for a little while and pretend that everything is going to be okay.

The next day, I'm not nervous at all, just really sad. I'm pretty sure that my mother and father have guessed... My mother fusses over my clothes, like she needs an excuse to maintain physical contact; my father is unusually curious about the dumbest things, like how long I slept and if I think breakfast tastes all right, as if he just wants to hear my voice. Roxas and Xion trail around after me like despondent puppies, scooting so close as we eat that they're practically sitting in my lap.

"You should stay in Abnegation," Roxas says.

"Roxas," our mother warns quietly.

"Selfless people stay and do what's best for their family," Roxas grumbles.

"Yeah," I say, "but selfish people who can't do what's best for their family never belonged in Abnegation in the first place." Xion buries her face in my shoulder.

"We should not be discussing this before the Ceremony," my father says firmly. "Axel, pass the bread, please. How dark would you like yours toasted?"

That whole morning, I kept trying not to think about Saïx at all, much less wonder whether he'd bother to show up or not, but it's a relief to get there and finally see him in the crowd. He came. He's sitting with his snooty faction, staring at me with no expression as if he doesn't recognize me and I mean nothing to him, but at least he's _here_. Thought that watching his brother choose a faction was worth leaving his precious library for a day. I wave, but all he does is frown a little. Nice to see you, too, bro.

Candor is hosting the ceremony this time. The ceremony starts and someone gives a long, boring speech I don't even try to pay attention to. I'm not gonna be Abnegation for much longer - no point in continuing to pretend interest I don't feel. Instead, I'm looking at the bowls, the stones and the earth and the water and the glass that we'll have to choose between. Some of the other initiates look nervous, but my choice feels easy. I just want it to be my turn already so I can get this over with.

When I'm not looking at the bowls, I'm watching my siblings. Saïx is sitting there like a goody-two-shoes, unmoving, legs crossed at the knee, hands folded delicately atop that knee like a proper lady. I bet if I was able to tease him about that, he wouldn't have any reaction at all, one way or the other. Talk about "Stiff"... He's fixated on the speaker with that closed expression of his that gives away nothing. Well, nothing except the fact that I can't imagine he's happy. Seriously, I can't remember the last time I've seen him smile.

Roxas and Xion look just as bored as I am, but aren't as good about hiding it. Our poor mother's shushing them a lot, even though it looks like she's trying to keep them quiet by giving them paper to draw on. At one point, Roxas holds up his paper to show me, and I can't actually see what it is, but I smile and give him a hopefully unobtrusive thumbs-up. Xion shows me her picture, too, which is a heart.

They will always be precious to me. I don't care if they eventually come to my new faction, or stay in theirs. I meant it when I said I'd always love them.

"Ladies and gentleman, thank you for your time. Now, we present to you the youths of our community, each ready to direct the course of his or her future."

This is it. I wait impatiently as the first initiates are called. Then it's my turn, and I get up and walk over to those bowls.

Rox and Xi are waving their pictures like crazy, and I give them a smile before our father yanks the papers out of their hands and gives them a stern, whispered lecture. Saïx is watching me, as detached as if I might as well be any of the other sixteen-year-olds. Seriously, Sai, do you even remember who I am?

I'm glaring at him as I choose the fire.

_To be continued..._


	2. (Saïx)

_**Blood and Faction**_**, a Kingdom Hearts / Divergent crossover fanfic by Raberba girl**

**Chapter 2 ****(rough draft)**

**Saïx**

Today is the Choosing Ceremony.

I had _intended_ to go to bed early so that I would be well-rested, but I happened to receive Professor Vexen's latest reports just before supper... I hadn't realized how much time was passing until I'd looked up and seen that it was nearly two o'clock in the morning. Now my alarm clock is ringing, and I have genuine doubt about my ability to get out of bed in time.

Of course I manage it in the end. I make it a point of pride, after all; I never shirk my duty, and I am never late.

It takes me longer than I thought it would to get dressed. I catch myself searching restlessly through my wardrobe, rejecting outfit after outfit which didn't meet some set of subconscious criteria. I frown, wondering why my clothes matter more to me today than they usually do. As I analyze my feelings, it finally occurs to me that I am - essentially - trying to prove myself to Axel. Apparently I harbor a pocket of insecurity, and my subconscious is overly concerned with showing that I am content, well-adjusted, and have no need for or nostalgia about my former life.

As soon as I realize this about myself, I seize the closest set of clothes and dress myself in them, making a determined effort to not think about the impression I might be giving to outsiders. Specifically, to Abnegation - to my family. I am Erudite now; they are not. My loyalty has shifted away from them, they have fallen to the level of past acquaintances. Their opinion of me should have no bearing on my personal demeanor or tranquility.

Still. There is a chance, however slim, that my brother will choose to transfer to the same faction I did, which would return our relationship to its former strength. I am certain he will reject Erudite, but his choice is not yet set in stone. Only the impossible can be fully ruled out.

I find that I have no appetite, but I still force myself to eat. My body's needs should not go unmet just because my emotions are imbalanced. I also try to practice one of the calming strategies Lexaeus taught me, and it is successful, to some extent. I feel at peace as I walk out to my car, until someone comes flying up to me, shrieking, "WAIT WAIT WAIT _WAIT_, I'M HERE, DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT ME DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT ME I'M HERE!"

"Yes," I say coldly, raising a hand to one of my ringing ears, "I am fully aware of your presence."

"You _almost left without me_!" Demyx whines at me in an accusing tone.

"I was at our previously agreed-upon meeting place at the previously agreed-upon time. I even waited a full five minutes for you to arrive late. You did not, therefore I assumed you had canceled, and-"

"You would have driven off without me?!"

"Yes."

"Geez, Saïx! Leaving me behind on my own Choosing Day, you're so _mean_..."

"Why aren't you going with one of your actual friends?"

"Um...well, they say we're not friends anymore," he says uncomfortably. "I had to get my own ride, and you're the only one who said yes..."

I frown. It's true that Demyx is surely leaving us today for a faction he would be...better-suited for. Still, he is Erudite up until the moment his blood will drop into the chosen vessel, and it does not seem right to renounce him prematurely. "...Any music we listen to on the way will be of _my_ choosing."

"Aww..."

"Absolutely NO food or edible material of any sort is permitted."

"Does leather count?" he said mischievously.

"Your sitar does NOT 'ride with you in the front seat.'"

"But-!"

"_May I make it clear_," I say, raising my voice until I recapture his attention, "that I have been _gracious_ enough to offer you transportation when I have absolutely no obligation to do so, and I would be quite happy to relieve myself of this burden upon even the slightest excuse. I _suggest_, if you wish to arrive at the Ceremony via my generosity, that you do not argue with my conditions, or vex me in any way."

"Heh. _Vex_en gets _vexed_ an awful lot-"

I turn away and open the driver's side door rather forcefully.

"It was just a dumb _joke_, don't ditch me!" he cries, scrambling for the passenger's side.

The trip, as I knew it would be, is interminable, and I am more than happy to part with Demyx once we reach the site and I'm able to send him off with the other initiates. At last, I have peace enough to hear my own thoughts again, and to look for my family.

They are not technically late, for Abnegation never do anything that would inconvenience others. However, they do not slip in until just before Axel is due to join the other sixteen-year-olds. That had been one of the advantages of transferring, the freedom for me to set my own schedule and arrive at places as early as I wanted, without my siblings' delays holding me back.

Dismissing Axel as beyond my reach for now, I go to greet my parents. "Saïx, my dear," my mother says warmly, "how are you?"

"I am well, Mother." I'm already inclining my head in greeting, out of force of habit. A year of getting used to shaking hands, yet when finding myself in a context related to my old life, I reverted to the Abnegation gesture without even a second's thought. Interesting.

"Sai-Sai!" Xion's piercing voice distracts me from what I had meant to say next. "SaiSaiSaiSaiSai, hiiiiii, you're here!"

Ugh. I can, however, afford to be polite. "Hello, Xion."

"How come you never come see us?" Roxas asks, earning brief, quiet censure from our parents.

"I have no reason to."

"Whaaaat?"

"We missed you!" Xion says.

"_Xion_," our parents warn in exasperation. I cannot envision my younger siblings remaining in Abnegation once they have their chance to choose, not unless their maturity increases quite a bit in the intervening years.

"I'm sorry," Xion bursts out in a sudden sob, "but it's been soooooo long, and we never see you..."

"Axel's gonna choose Dauntless," Roxas tells me matter-of-factly. "He'll be gone forever. Until I turn sixteen and go live with him."

"...He told you he was transferring to Dauntless?"

"We shouldn't be talking about this," my father says stiffly. "But enough about us - Saïx, we're glad to hear you're doing well in your new faction. Would you care to tell us about your work?"

Of course he's just being polite. "No. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to find my seat, it seems the Ceremony will begin soon."

I wish I could read a book until it's my brother's turn to choose his faction, but that would not reflect well on me - we're supposed to care about which members our faction gain and lose. I pretend to pay attention, but am making lists in my head of things I need to look up and messages I need to send when I get home.

At last, Axel comes striding across the stage, and I watch intently. I release the breath I had not realized I was holding when he marches to the bowl full of fire without hesitation. He's not going to join me... He is, in fact, glaring straight at me as his blood drips down onto the hot coals. "Good-bye, Axel," I say, too quietly for anyone to hear. If he wants nothing more to do with me, then I will have nothing more to do with him. The last lingering link to my childhood is gone.

I am so preoccupied with my thoughts afterward that I am startled by my faction's collective gasp a little later. Then, as a few voices rise in outraged cries, I realize that it is now Demyx's turn.

_He's holding his hand over the water._

_'What?!'_ I'm at a loss at first. Then I belatedly make the connection as Demyx comes waltzing back over to us, beaming as if he's just made us all proud. He chose Erudite. After all of us were expecting to see the last of him - he SHOULD have left, he's lazy and stupid and has never fit in, - he _chose Erudite_. Why?! _Why_?!

"Erudite forever!" he crows.

Some of us shout back at him in anger. I don't. It's too late. He's made his choice, and now, for better or worse, we will have to continue to put up with him for the rest of his life. I can't even begin to fathom the workings of his mind. What in the world could have possibly made him think this was a good idea, or that he belongs with us?

"You go, kid," Xigbar calls in amused encouragement, the only one of us who looks pleased, and Demyx gives him a thumbs-up. I want to hit them both. I _will_ if they say anything to me or come near me.

I have no interest in the rest of the ceremony, though, fortunately, it does not last much longer. All the initiates are taken away, and many people start leaving.

For some reason, I am reluctant to return to my car. Instead, I start moving through the rows of seats, picking up things that were left behind, mostly ceremony programs with the names of the initiates printed on them. I am caught off guard when Xion practically jumps in front of me. "Here's the trash bag, Sai-Sai!"

Oh. Of course my Abnegation family would be among those staying to help clean up. I look at the things I've collected, then drop them into the garbage bag my sister is holding. "Thank you, Xion."

"Let's be Clean-up Buddies!"

"..." For some reason, the thought of staying to help doesn't seem unappealing this time. Perhaps because I know that I am no longer expected to. "Very well. But the term is _partners_ - temporary ones," I made sure to add.

"Isn't Clean-up Buddies the same thing?"

"We're not in elementary school."

"Yes, we are!"

"_I'm_ not," I amend. Just talking with her can be tiring sometimes.

"But we can still work together?"

"Yes."

"Yaaay!"

"Do you have to be so exuberant...?"

_To be continued..._

Author's Notes: Juuuust so you know, it's probably going to be a long time before I update this again. Partly because I'm really busy, but also partly because I kind of hate _Divergent_. XD See, I need the books, especially the first one, for reference; but I DON'T want to buy them, even secondhand; and every time I check them out from the library, I'm too busy and too distracted by a million other projects to make much use of them; and since everyone and their mothers keep putting the books on hold, I can't keep them for more than three weeks at a time, and then it takes a while before they're available for me to check out again; SO YEAH, trying to coordinate that is a huge pain. *sweatdrop*

But I do, for the record, already have the ending scene already written. It was my original idea for this story; everything else that leads up to it is just backstory that I thought was interesting.

So what happened is that I read Taliax's lovely _Lunar Flare_ story about Axel & Saïx in the _Divergent_ universe (theme 9, "Fire"), and it was a total squee-fest. It was enough to get me to actually read _Divergent_ (even though of course I knew there wouldn't be any AkuSai in it like there was in Tali's fic XD XD).

I actually find the _Divergent_ books to be annoying, but they were SO INSPIRING, on many levels. They got me re-interested in reading, re-interested in seeking a library job, re-interested in writing my original stories, gave me plunnies, etc. The thing I find so attractive is (for once) not the characters or the writing quality, but the world it's set in, especially the fascinating faction system, and my OT4 fell into place within that setting fairly quickly - this is one of the stories that pretty much wrote itself in my head. ^^ (At least, the plot and certain scenes did. It's tiresome trying to get the details to fit.)


End file.
